Behind the Counter at a local Japanese Portside Tuna Restaurant

this is behind the counter at a local Japanese Portside tuna [Music] sh so today I'm 2 hours south of Tokyo in the miuda area and today is going to be a special one because I'm going behind the counter at this local Japanese tuna shop that's just Portside and it goes way back three generations I can't wait to get this one started but actually this story starts at 5 a.m. good morning this is the owner takuya and that's his daughter who also worked here so today I'm taking you deep into the kitchen of their Maguro tuna specialty shop Kudo bate nestled for more than half a century in the heart of this local Japanese Fisherman's town at misaki Port from their Ultra fresh ashimi to their signature gooda dishes this Hidden Gem offers a dining experience with the freshest ingredients and passion infused local craftsmanship all with a warm family Vibe it's so early huh what time did you sleep last night what really damn and you're still [Music] smiling so tuya quickly preps the storefront before going to the fish market what time did you go to sleep last night and you woke up at H so you really don't sleep then a man that loves his craft okay nice his son is going too every morning they go to the misaki fish market which is only 5 minutes [Music] away the fish market has been the LIF flood of this sport for over a hundred years and designed as a wholesaler Market you rarely see restaurant owners here but takuya and his family take exceptional pride in being able to select and serve the freshest and highest quality fish available to their customers it's also where takuya's grandfather made a name for himself as a number one Mago fisherman in the industry during his time so what are you checking cool what is that crazy you can eat that too so takuya has been coming to the fish market now for over 20 years slowly passing down the knowledge he gained from his father to his son and daughter who'll be the third generation to continue on the family business I guess you're going to try to buy that [Music] too now he goes to the freezer to pick up ingredients for their shop oh it's for me thanks how cold is the freezer yikes I hope the camera survives so there's A- 40° freezer - 76° F for buyers to store their frozen tuna every week the shop buys two giant tuna which is about 150 kg 330 lb so he comes here in the morning to pick up the amount that they need so that they can start their special defrosting [Music] technique the son and daughter are already back and they've started their morning prep do you sharpen your knives every day is that the only knife you have dang that looks sharp now she's cutting the tuna's organs so is it fun to work with your siblings oh do you guys fight okay so how old are you guys really did you always think you were going to work here although she's still attending University as a senior it's her plan to help continue on the family business she says that although she could work at other places she finds working with her family the most rewarding while also allowing her to pursue her various interests and at the end of the day she's grateful to have the support of her family while the two prepare in the morning they usually talk about the fish that they saw at the market and plan how to include them in the day's menu now the shop prepares the head of the tuna so in Japan it's an uncommon practice to eat the tuna's more unconventional Parts like the throat and jaw but here in the misaki area it's a local specialty often eaten in the home as it's a technique that was developed by their local fishermen during long voyages at Sea the Japanese tuna fishermen would enjoy the Lesser known parts that usually don't make it to Market and would cook it with an international culinary approach with spices gathered from their trips around the world resulting in their own unique tuna Fusion style cuisine so who taught you how to clean it a tuna head isn't something that you can easily purchase which makes it a challenge for someone who wants to learn and master the technique but the son says he's been fortunate working under the family business as he himself cuts at least one head every day about 500 in a [Music] year what's that water for oh really are you good at it so she actually just got her wholesaler license this year apparently though a few days ago she had a fairly serious talk with her father as he's been disappointed recently with her inability to purchase tuna and encouraged her to be more decisive in her bidding so today she's more determined than ever to come home home with the one she wants so do you think you can do it today I hope so [Music] too so this is the tuna auction misaki is known to be one of the biggest ports in Japan for frozen tuna fishing boats from around the world filled with tuna make their destination to this port so regardless of the Season 400 to 1,000 tuna are auctioned off here every day and now she carefully inspects the tuna one by one she started helping out the shop when she was 15 helping out in front even memorizing the day's recommendations so she could better serve their customers which further helped Peak her curiosity and eagerness to know more about the fish that they were serving she eventually convinced her father to take her to the fish market where she could see first first hand the Lively exchange of the day's catch she found herself captivated by the charm of the market and grew more appreciation for their small Fisherman's Town awesome she got [Music] one you're going to go for another one break a fin so what happened oh no I'm [Music] sorry hey like your dad says it's a battle out there you win some you lose some at the same time on a different floor the sun is bidding on the freshly caught fish hey you must know all these people oh okay let's keep it quiet so the son has been coming here since he was 18 years old so he's already picked out which fish he's going to bid for but he says that it's one of the more challenging parts of his job since it's a silent auction meaning he has to bid a high enough price so the shop doesn't come home empty-handed but careful not to bid too high where they don't make much money so how did you do so did you get all the fish you wanted oh you don't know about all the fish ah okay meanwhile tuya prepares the various parts of tuna that's shako that's the heart and that's the tunero very very similar to samon R but even finer it's not often that you get to see it by the way what do you think about your son continuing on the family business the shop initially started out as a small bar serving tuna to the local fisherman takuya's father wanted to follow in The Grandfather's path as a number one tuna fisherman but due to his terrible seasickness he wasn't able to but he didn't give up inspired by his grandfather's stories of how tuna was eating all around the world his father dedicated himself to become the number one Maguro chef and the shop was born it was only until later on when takuya told his father that he wanted to follow in his footsteps as a chef that his father decided to expand the business into the shop it is now holy tuna ship that looks good what are you going to do with it sounds phenomenal so what do you do on your day off really what do you do after that huh do you travel you must love your work do you have a favorite food other than tuna I like it too so quickly I want to tell you guys about the awesome people at Boku who also sponsored this video I know I know that many of you have already subscribed which is fantastic but for those of you who don't know I've been stacking on boxes for years now getting premium authentic Japanese treats delivered monthly to my front door Source from family businesses all throughout Japan first time users will get a Seasons of Japan box and after that they'll get a a theme box like this one it's like they've roam the back alley streets of Japan going from small shop to shop finding these delectable hitters for sure it's a perfect gift for yourself as well as the ones you love especially for this holiday season I'm loving this month's theme Hokkaido Wonderland especially this tasty hokido white raspberry and again you and your friends and family can try it for yourself so get $15 off your own authentic Japanese subscription snack box from Buu by using my code APO and Link in the description hi have you worked here a long time wow about 30 years so what do you do when you're not working oh you like to drink dang that's crazy hi how long have you been working here last week why'd you come back oh that's nice what did you do before this is it different now so what's changed ah I see so how was your dad growing up so you two are close he says that his father could be a bit stubborn as he prefers the traditional ways and it's sometimes a challenge to help him to understand new food Trends it's clear though that every member in the family has their own unique passion for the shop each taking pride in their own individ idual tasks but all working together to keep the business running oh that's the kuya's dad famously known as oaji without him none of this would even exist hi I'm from the US so what do you do now sweet where are they oh can I see wow he's taking me to a storage [Music] garage damn that's massive where do you sell it hotels where then ah that makes [Music] sense apparently he starts with griffwood and carves it into a Buddha or other designs adding that the core principle of what he does as a sculptor is similar to when he was a chef basically working tirelessly to create something amazing out of raw materials that sadly many people don't end up valuing wow it does get [Music] shiny how did the rest of the bidding [Music] go around 10:30 they take a short breakfast break called Makai where the shop provides the workers food which is usually purchased from the market that day and his family take advantage of this meal by testing out new ingredients and exploring new dishes that could possibly be served at the shop as they believe it's important for the future of their business hello ah more workers are here you guys don't need with them I'm okay I don't you're nice oh I guess they're done eating already hey do you like fishing too okay so do you like manga or anime have you been watching anything [Music] lately [Music] right before the shop opens the sun cleans another tuna head and as many of their customers know this they'll happily come early and wait in line while watching him as he hones his craft and now the shop is finally open so the kitchen takes it up another [Music] level wow that looks amazing what is it so it's a hidden menu item not surprised though since it's such a local [Music] shop oh takuya is explaining the dish one by one to the customer he says that some of misaki's local dishes using tuna innards are sadly slowly disappearing these were once commonly home-cooked dishes that served at the dining table of local fishermen but these days the younger generation shows little interest in learning these recipes the shop though continues to serve the cuisine in hopes of preserving the local area's [Music] [Music] Heritage everybody's so busy so let's talk to a customer hi how was your food oh and what's your favorite so what do you think you'll come back thanks now the shop prepares food for takeout but for pickups only as deliveries are unavailable in the area whoa that's a boatload how much is it damn that's a good deal [Music] uhoh something's happening I guess it's never a dull day at this [Music] shop what happened oh glad you got it fixed after the lunchtime Peak the shop slightly slows down and the workers take turns on breaks hi have you worked here for a long time oh how did you know about this place what do you two do together and are you a university student as well oh what are you studying ah so what do you want to do in the future good luck hey you live upstairs ah okay did you get some rest huh what do you mean oh that sucks what did you say to [Laughter] her I'm sure she's on the right path and her father only wants the best for her it's all family love and that's another one in the books if you'd like to visit this shop for yourself I'll be sure to leave a link in the description also if you're looking for more holiday gift ideas don't slip on my P from Tokyo premium commady hot sauce made only in Japan get that fire and a mommy at Pao from tokyohot sauce.com okay so that's behind the counter at a local Japanese tuna shop if you guys would like this video like always help me out and hit that like button if you guys want to help support the channel check out the merch and if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything related to Japan hit that subscribe button and the bell button I'll catch you guys in the next one

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 1,200,416

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, Japan guide, Japan travel, japanese food, japan travel food, japan food, japan food tour, hidden gem, food documentary, japan food documentary, japan behind the counter, behind the counter, tuna shop, fishing port restaurant, japanese street food tour, japan street food documentary, maguro restaurant, tuna restaurant, kurobatei, japan food tourism, food documentary japan, japanese restaurant, japan fish market, misaki port, tuna auction, japan tuna auction

Id: PP720v9Zhuo

Length: 20min 56sec (1256 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 15 2023